Saving Those Fresh Herbs

I can't recall the number of times I have experienced complete disappointment because my fresh herbs have gone to waste.  Frances has shared with many of us that in attempt to preserve her fresh herbs for later use, she freezes them in muffin tins.  I came across this article and thought I would pass it along to my fellow home chefs.  I ended up chopping up my leftover cilantro I used in a dish over the weekend and placing it in mini muffin tins with chicken stock.  They froze quite well.  I took them out of the tins and placed them in a plastic bag for later use.  So far so good!

Here is the link to the article, http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/menus/5-tips-for-saving-fresh-herbs.htm

The Perfect Autumn Vegetable

Autumn has been a little shy this year so far in southern Indiana. It may be mid-October, but most of the trees have been modestly holding on to their summer green. Except for the sassafras. Those brazenly red sassafras trees have no shame.

Strahl Lake, Brown County State Park (Brown County, IN)

Anyway, I went to the Bloomington Farmers' Market this weekend to pick up some supplies for my favorite game: What is that Vegetable & How Do I Cook It? (In the past, I've discovered such gems as lemon cucumbers and this menacing horned melon which I absent-mindedly threw into my produce bag, failing to notice that it had gored the last of the August peaches until I felt their viscous juice dripping down my arm.) As I meandered through the farm stands, I picked up a butternut squash, some beets, some yellow squash, and a few late summer radishes. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Just as I was about to give up on finding something new (because that aforementioned squash was really heavy), I spotted something I'd never seen before. To my great joy, I discovered what just might be the Perfect Autumn Vegetable.

(drum roll, please)

Purple green beans!

Do you think they have extra vitamins because they're purple?

Yes, they really were that purple. The eggplant was shocked (but a little bit flattered) by their imitation.

Maybe you're thinking, "Ok, so they're purple. That's weird, but how could they possibly be in the running for the title of 'perfect autumn vegetable' when there are so many colorful roots to choose from? They're not even in the squash family!"

Well, here's why:

Wait for it . . .

They actually change color!

Ta da!

Ok, so maybe these beans kind of missed the memo and got it backwards. Instead of changing from green to purple as the temperatures got colder (like their non-edible vegetative brethren), they went from purple to green as soon as they hit the hot blanching water. But close enough.

Way to be festive, purple beans! You win.

________________________________________________________________________________

Purple Green Beans

• Purple green beans, ends snapped
• bacon
• garlic
• purple onion, thinly sliced
• salt & pepper, to taste

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a rapid boil. Add the beans to blanch for a few minutes, then drain.
2. Meanwhile, cook bacon over medium heat in a dutch oven. When crispy, remove bacon and set aside to drain, but leave the grease.
3. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant (30 seconds). Add the onion and stir until soft (a couple minutes). Then add the no-longer-purple green beans and cook until desired level of tenderness is reached (five to seven-ish minutes).
4. Serve with crumbled bacon and Parmesan cheese.

The Best Banana Bread Ever

• If I was stuck on a desert island this would be my food of choice. This banana bread never gets old. I love to eat a slice for breakfast with my morning coffee or after dinner with a cup of tea. Every fall/winter, I memorize the recipe and whip this bread up at least once a week. I buy bananas and wait for them to brown just to make this bread! 
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
• 1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted 
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 6.75 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• Cooking spray 
• 
  
• 1. Preheat oven to 350°.
• 2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed. Add granulated and brown sugars; beat until combined.
• 3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through ground allspice). Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; cool completely. 
• Side Note: I don't even use an electric mixer. I just whip everything up with a spatula and it comes out just fine. I also use Greek yogurt and double the amount of bananas the recipe calls for. The extra bananas makes it even better! 
• From Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2010 ("Basic Banana Bread")

Christy Jordan's Mandarin Orange Cake (aka a Sunshine Cake)

I am going to a end of summer/TX Independence Day celebration this weekend and I was asked to bring the dessert. One of the desserts will be Christy Jordan's Mandarin Orange Cake (aka a Sunshine Cake).

 

A little history about how this cake became a go to recipe for me. Two Easters ago, the parents of a good friend of mine invited Mr. and Mrs. K, Mrs. K's sister, my roommate and myself to their house for Easter. My friend told me how his parents were looking forward to what I would contribute to the meal since he had apparently told them about every meal I had cooked for him (and our other friends) over our 10 year friendship. No pressure to meet, or more importantly exceed, 10 years worth of compliments. /end sarcasm/

 

With Mrs. K joining us, I wanted to bring a lactose free dessert. Especially since I knew she couldn't have the Lemon Meringue Pie I was making for Mr. K and my friend's dad because it had sweetened condensed milk in it. So I turned to my cooking hero, Mrs. Christy Jordan.

 

And sure enough in her refrigerator cakes post I found the perfect recipe: Christy's Mandarin Orange Cake. It was lactose free. Easy to make. And the flavors would be perfect for a spring dessert.

 

My only concern was that I had never made it before. Christy claimed in her post that it was her favorite cake. So I knew it had to be good. But there is a difference in theoretically knowing something will be good and making it for the very first time to take to people with high expectations of your abilities. But what is the phrase when it comes to taking a risk... "go big or go home?" So I took the gamble to blindly trust Christy and a tropical flavor profile that I believed would be a good combination.

 

And Christy's Mandarin Orange Cake didn't let me down. It was a light cake that wasn't too sweet. His Mom enjoyed the cake. She said it was called a Sunshine  cake many years ago and that she hadn't had one in years. My roommate loved it. (Her favorite dessert that I make is close to a toss up between this cake, a traditional pecan pie and my strawberry pie. But I think this cake edges out the pies by a slight margin.) And if memory serves me, Mrs. K enjoys it as well. (I don't think Mr. K or my friend's dad could be tempted away from their Lemon Meringue Pie, their favorite dessert, to try the cake.)

 

I've made this a number of times since then and always receive glowing reviews and requests for the recipe.  

 

Christy Jordan's  Mandarin Orange Cake (aka a Sunshine Cake)

Ingredients

• Cake:
• 1 box Yellow Cake Mix
• 1 (11 oz) can Mandarin oranges diced, undrained (buy the 100% juice, instead of the syrup, to cut down on the sugar)
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup oil
• Frosting:
• 1 sm. (3.4 ounce) Box instant vanilla pudding mix (you use sugar free without impacting the flavor)
• 1 (13 oz) cool whip (can use reduced fat or fat free without impacting the flavor)
• 1 -8 ounce can crushed pineapple, undrained (buy the 100% juice, instead of the syrup, to cut down on the sugar)

 

Instructions

1. Mix all cake ingredients together well.
2. Pour into 3 greased and floured round cake pans*.
3. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.
4. For frosting, mix pudding mix and pineapple together with spoon.
5. Fold in cool whip until well blended.
6. Frost cake.
7. Keep refrigerated. Best if made 2 or 3 days ahead and refrigerated before serving.

*Note: Christy usually makes her cakes in a 9x13 pan "just to save the trouble of fooling with the layers."

Concord Grape Muffins

Oh, well hello there, September! I didn't even notice you waltz in. I've been so distracted by the close of summer. 

August was just delightful this year, wasn't it? Full of friends, old and new (including one really new friend - - like, barely 1 month old new.)

(clockwise from top left) VA & Anderson at Emma Lou's Cafe in Louisville, KY;
AML & EDB at Pie Sisters in Georgetown (DC);
MC at the Bloomington, IN Farmers' Market;
S & Frances at Northside Social in Arlington, VA

But now that you're here, September, I suggest you pull up a chair and make yourself useful. I see you brought some Concord grapes from Grandpa Batman's garden. Wonderful. Grab a pairing knife, start cutting out those seeds, and let's see what we can do with these . . .

Confession: I ate five of these in one sitting.

Concord Grape Muffins

yields 12 delightful muffins

2 c flour

1/2 c. sugar

1 T baking powder (yes, tablespoon)

1/4 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

zest of one lemon

6 T butter

1/2 t vanilla

1 c milk

1 c Concord grapes, seeded**

coarse sugar, for sprinkling

-Preheat oven to 400. 
-Mix dry ingredients, including zest.
-Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender.
-Add vanilla & milk. Stir gently until just mixed.
-Carefully fold in seeded grapes.
-Divide evenly into muffin tins; sprinkle with sugar (if using).

**Seeding Concord grapes takes forever. Pull up a chair, and be warned that grapes can have anywhere from 1-4 seeds, so you need to pay attention. Also . . . Concord grapes are incredibly delicious, so you'll probably end up eating 2 grapes for every one grape that you seed. Factor in your own will power when planning both the number of grapes you'll need and the time it will take to seed them . . .

How do you freeze your food?

Not too long ago, Emily, Sarith and I had a discussion on how we froze various food items.
I will leave it up to them to share their freezing preferences but mine are as follows:

Soups - I spoon mine into silicon muffin pans that sit on a baking sheet for stability. I then freeze the soup. Once the soup is frozen solid, I pop them out of the silicon muffin pans and throw them into a large Ziploc bag. The muffin cups are about a measurement cup portion size and I can defrost the portion amount I need without defrosting more than I need.

Herbs - Similar to the soup, I pull out my silicon mini-muffin pan and place it on a cookie sheet. I portion out my fresh herbs and place the measurement amount in the bottom of the muffin cups and then pour enough water to cover. Once the water the herbs are in is frozen solid, I pop them out of the silicon muffin pans and throw them into a freezer Ziploc bag. Making sure to mark the bag to indicate the type of herb and the measurement amount. The when I use then I can either defrost and drain the herbs or I can just throw them in the soup pot. (i.e. cilantro because I never use the whole bunch when I buy it.)

Berries - I will prep the berries (i.e. cutting off the top of strawberries, taking off the stems of berries, etc.) but I DO NOT wash them. (The water would pull out the liquid in the berries as they freeze) I then lay them out on a cookie sheet and pop them in the freezer until they are frozen solid. Then I dump them into a freezer bag. Then when I want to use them, I give them a quick rinse and either use them frozen or allow them to defrost. Now my mother rinses the berries before freezing them so that she doesn't have to was them when she wants to use them. Granted in theory, withdrawing the liquid in the berries by pre-rinsing and then freezing them will concentrate the sugars thus making them sweeter. (That is how ice wines are made.) But it is the convenience in the morning of not washing the berries so she can just throw the frozen blueberries in her cereal in her to go cup that motivates her. Not the sweetness of the berries. 

Advice from the Experts:

Good Housekeeping: Guide to Freezing Food

Martha Stewart: Tips for Freezing Food

Taste of Home: Tips for Freezing Food

Allrecipes.com: Freezing Foods: A Real Time-Saver

Southern Living: Easy Freezer Meals

So how do you freeze your food? 
 

Francie's Slow Cooker Variation of "Christy Jordan's Ground Beef Stew (with a secret!)"

Christy Jordan of Southernplate.com is one of my culinary heroes. She makes the type of everyday classic Southern food I grew up with, particularly in my Southern Baptist church. (Baptists might officially frown on drinking alcohol but we can out potluck any other denomination!) Her recipes are simple and easy to follow. And I love how she photographs each step of the recipe.

Christy's recipes are always spot on and I always get rave reviews when I use one of her recipes. She may be the only cook that I trust to make a recipe of hers, that I have never made before, and be beyond confident in serving it at a party or holiday.

But I also admire how open and confident Christy is in sharing her relationship with Christ on her website. I admire her positive attitude, her zest for life and her love and devotion to the various generations of her family. I appreciate that her sense of humor is evident in her posts. And I hope, that if God blesses me with the opportunity to be married and have children, that I will be half the wife and mother she is. She isn't perfect but I have found her to be a good example of a Proverbs 31 woman, the Southern version.

One of my absolute favorite recipes from her is "Ground Beef Stew (with a secret!)" I adapted it to a crockpot version. I use frozen veggies and onions instead of fresh because 1) it is easier and faster, 2) the frozen onions don't make my eyes water and 3) stew is a fall and winter dish when these veggies are out of season and over priced. I have seen a lot of mixed veggie combinations at the grocery store. So you can try out various combos.

I prefer using the low sodium Spicy V8 Juice because I can control the sodium better. I use lean ground beef to reduce the fat. (I imagine you could leave out the beef and use vegetable stock if you wanted just a vegetable soup. Or substitute chicken from the meat and stock.) I use the fire roasted diced tomatoes but for those who don't like tomatoes as much, I would advise the crushed tomatoes.

This is a great recipe to freeze and/or to share with friends and neighbors. Especially since it serves 8 people.

Francie's Slow Cooker Variation of "Christy Jordan's Ground Beef Stew (with a secret!)"

(Picture is from Christy's website)

 

Ingredients

• 1-2 lbs ground beef, cooked and drained
• 1-2 bags of frozen country mix vegetables (diced carrots, cut green beans, green English peas and corn) 
• frozen, diced Onion to taste (I usually use 1/2 a cup but I don't like onions)
• 1 bag of frozen country style hash browns (the cubes, not the shredded)
• 29 ounce can diced or crushed tomatoes
• 1-2 Cans Spicy Hot V-8 juice (I try to get the low sodium Spicy Hot V-8 juice and use 2 cans)
• 2 C beef broth (or 2 C water & 4 Beef Bullion Cubes)
• 1 tsp salt
• Cornbread

Instructions

1. Break out the crockpot.
2. Layer the frozen vegetables. I start with the potatoes, then the onion and lastly the country mix vegetables. (But I don't think it really matters. You can dump it in as you wish.)
3. Layer the canned tomatoes and then the ground beef on top of the frozen vegetables.
4. Pour in the beef broth and the Spicy V8 juice.   
5. Add the salt.
6. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
7. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve with warm cornbread.

Francie's version of Easy Meatloaf

Francie's version of Easy Meatloaf

I hated meatloaf growing up. Admittedly I am currently a picky eater but as a child I was worse. There is just something about slicing meatloaf that has always bothered me. So I don't know why I decided to try my hand a making meatloaf, other than I happened to have the majority of all of the ingredients on hand for the Janet's Easy Meatloaf recipe from Allrecipes.com that I had adapted to my tastes based on it's reviews. I love the flavor that the crushed up Cheese-Its. the Worcestershire sauce and the sautéed in butter garlic and onions add to the original recipe.  

My Dad is so proud of his meatloaf that has oatmeal instead of crackers in it. The rest of the family isn't as enthusiastic over that recipe. So last Christmas I was recruited to make mine instead because Daddy doesn't fuss when I cook. Though I thought he might start after he found out the meatloaf he had seconds of had Cheese-Its in it.

 

One of my personal quirks is that I don't like touching raw meat unless there is no other option. So I used a serving spoon to separate the portions and discovered it made perfect oval mini-meatloaves that I then smothered in the sauce.

I have also seen some people use a muffin pan to make individual meatloaves but it still sits it it's own grease. So I strongly prefer and appreciate how elevating the meatloaves allows the fat to drain away from the food. It doesn't necessarily make it healthy but it does make it slightly healthier.  
 

The mini-meatloaves make perfect single portions. Thus making them easy to plate for a meal, to give away to friends and neighbors or to freeze for future use. I have found it is an easy comfort food to make and share.

 

I recommend serving with mashed potatoes but really any vegetable works with a meatloaf.

 

Francie's version of Easy Meatloaf

Ingredients:

  The Meatloaf

     1 1/2 pounds ground beef (or you can use the meatloaf mixture of meats the grocery store sells all ready mixed together and prepackaged)

     1 egg

     1 onion, chopped

     2 cloves of garlic, minced (I normally use up to 3 cloves but I love garlic)

     1 cup milk (I typically use 2% or occasionally I will use low-fat buttermilk if I happen to have some on hand)

     1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

     1 cup white cheddar cheese-its, crushed

     salt and pepper to taste

  The Sauce

     4 tablespoons brown sugar

     4 tablespoons prepared mustard

     2/3 cup ketchup

     dashes of Worcestershire sauce to taste if you find the sauce too sweet

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Line a cookie sheet with sides with Aluminum Foil. Cover a cooling rack with Aluminum Foil, place the Aluminum Foil covered cooling rack onto the Aluminum Foil lined cookie sheet and poke enough holes in the Aluminum Foil covered cooling rack to allow the fat to drain away from the meatloaf when it is baking.  (You can also give it a spritz of non-stick cooking spray if you want to do so.)
3. Sauté the onions and garlic in a little butter for a few minutes until the onions softened and become translucent.
4. In a large bowl, combine the beef, egg, the sautéed onions/garlic, milk, Worcestershire sauce and the crushed white cheddar cheese-its. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the meat mixture into 6 portions, place the 6 portions onto the prepared cooling rack and form the 6 portions into mini-loaves. (I use a large silicone cooking spoon so I don't have to touch the meat and the spoon provides a uniform oval shape.)
5. In a separate small bowl, combine the brown sugar, mustard and ketchup. (Mix well and pour over the meatloaves.
6. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

You could sneak additional veggies by sautéing diced green peppers and celery to the onions and garlic. I also saw where reviewers added veggies such as mushrooms, finely shredded carrots, squash, etc. to the meatloaf mixture. But I'm not sure how that would impact the cooking time and flavors.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

 

 Chicken Tortilla Soup

 

I ran across this recipe years ago on Allrecipes.com. I have tweaked it over the years and it has become a go to recipe for me. And while it is called Chicken Tortilla Soup, the recipe doesn't actually call for tortillas. Though I recommend serving it with cornbread or tortillas. Dole Salads also sell a Southwest salad kit that I highly recommend to serve with this soup.

                                                       

Admittedly the recipe looks like a lot at first glance but it is extremely fast and easy to make due to most of the ingredients being canned. The soup bursts with flavor and is very filling (as a doubting Mr. K discovered). It freezes well, which is good because it serves 8 people and my household is not that large. And the freezing allows me to take leftovers to friends and neighbors.   

I tend to cheat and purchase a rotisserie chicken from the store instead of cooking the chicken myself. I ether use all of the meat or save the excess meat for other recipes. But I find that the rotisserie chicken usually gives it a little extra depth of flavor. Or at least that is what I tell myself to alleviate my occasional guilt at using the short cut.     
 

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Original recipe makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin (the original recipe calls for dried oregano but I prefer the flavor of cumin in this recipe. Although a dried Mexican oregano might not be bad.)
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (10.5 ounce) cans condensed chicken broth (or you can substitute 1 can of chicken broth for 1 1/4 cups water)
• 1 cup whole corn kernels, cooked (I usually just throw in a can of Mexican Corn since it has the peppers mixed in it or a regular can of corn)
• 1 cup white hominy (You can also substitute a cup of white corn if white hominy is unavailable)
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped fire-roasted green chile peppers (Although regular chopped green chile peppers work just as well)
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (10 ounce) can of Ro*tel with Lime Juice and Cilantro (You can also use a regular can of Ro*tel if you can't find the Lime and Cilantro Ro*tel)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and shredded into bite-sized pieces
• lime juice (to taste)
• crushed tortilla chips

Optional Toppings:

• sliced avocado
• shredded Mexican cheese blend or Monterey Jack cheese
• sour cream
• chopped green onions
• sliced limes to squeeze into soup

Directions:

1. In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat.
2. Sauté onion and garlic in oil until soft.
3. Stir in chili powder, cumin, tomatoes, broth, and water.
4. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Stir in corn, hominy, chiles, beans, Ro*tel, cilantro, and chicken.
6. Simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Ladle soup into individual serving bowls.
8. Top the soup with crushed tortilla chips, avocado slices, cheese, sour cream, lime slices and chopped green onion.

Hambleton Chocolate Meringue Pie

Hambleton Chocolate Meringue Pie

As I have previously confessed, I am a chocoholic. I choose to blame it on genetics and claim the older living members of my Hamilton bloodline,  my Uncle Jimmy and my cousin Clay, as exhibit A and B in my defense.

So this is my favorite recipe from my Dad's side of the family. It has been passed down from the women in the family (from my Dad's grandmother Mallie Hambleton, to my Dad's mother (Frances) and her sister, my great-Aunt Ruth, to Aunt Ruth's daughter Carol and then to myself, my sister, and the women who married into our family).

Frances Hambleton Garner, Mallie Hambleton and Ruth Hambleton Lollar (from L to R)

Daddy attempted to make and improve the pie. But bless his heart, it didn't work. His recipe just doesn't taste the same. Though to be fair, I don't think any of us can compete with Aunt Carol's pies.

Whenever I come home for the holidays, Aunt Carol always makes it for me. If I make it home for my birthday, then she make one for Clay (her brother) and I to split since we share the same birthday as well. Ok, so it isn't just our birthday that we get to split a pie. It is every holiday I make it home for. Otherwise, Clay has to share with the rest of the family. I tell Clay that this is proof that Aunt Carol loves me more than him. But he doesn't believe me.

Obviously Clay and I wouldn't eat the whole pie in one sitting but we do take the leftover pie home and jealously guard it. My sister still whines to this day about how I allegedly stole her pie when we were kids, even though she wasn't old enough to remember when this alleged incident MAY have occurred. All she recalls is a story that has been greatly exaggerated with each retelling, not unlike the stories fishermen tell of the fish that got away where the minnow becomes a great white after a multitude of retellings. So according to the grossly one sided and outlandishly exaggerated story, when we were young (she being toddler age and I being maybe 7-8) we had each been given a slice to take home after the holiday. I had quickly eaten my piece but Katie had not touched hers. My family claims that my parents had left us in the care of my Grandmomma Cunningham (my Momma's Mother), who was visiting, and that I convinced her that the remaining piece was mine, not Katie's, and ate it without giving Katie a single bite of her own slice of Chocolate Meringue Pie. Therefore causing Katie to cry because she didn't get any more pie. Now I don't recall this happening and there is no remaining proof to prove me guilty or innocent. So I think it is unfair to throw around these libelous, unfounded accusations based on hearsay from 25 years ago. But some members of my family still can't let it go. 

But moving on from my family's ability to hold a grudge  over real or imagined events and onto the pie. The original recipe doesn't specify the amount of vanilla. So feel free to add more or less. It is too taste, but I felt 1 tsp would be a good starting point.  Also, in the original recipe, it did not say to reserve 2 teaspoons of sugar for the meringue. Nor did it say to spread the meringue over the chocolate mixture. But I went ahead and added those clarifications.

Hambleton Chocolate Pie Recipe

From Carol Turner and Mallie Hambleton

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
1 1/4 cups sugar + 2 teaspoons of sugar for each egg white used
6 level tablespoons flour
2 (or 3 small) eggs, with the whites separated from the yolks
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
A pie shell that has already been baked

Directions:
Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, a small amount of the milk with the egg yolks in a sauce pan. Beat until smooth.
Add remaining milk, stirring constantly until thickened.
Add the vanilla and pour into a baked pie shell.
Beat egg whites until stiff, adding 2 teaspoons of sugar to each egg white, to make the meringue.
Spread the meringue over the chocolate mixture making that the meringue touches all the edges of the pie shell. (Otherwise the meringue will shrink away from the edges because it has nothing to cling to in order to prevent the shrinkage.)
Bake at 375 until lightly browned. (15-20 minutes. 30 minutes at the most.)

Serve the pie chilled or at room temperature.  

My Life Without Coffee (or Caffeine)...

VA introduced Team 308 to this lovely mug.  I later received this mug from VA for my birthday.  It's still one of my favorites.  Thanks VA!

Emily and I were chatting the other day about the lame things we do when we are so tired.  It's pretty amazing the careless and spacey things I do without my cup of Joe or when I am desperately in need of more java.  And I'm often tired so this list keeps growing.  So my question for you is...my life without coffee means...?  You fill in the blank.  Let's keep this list going as we keep enjoying the lovely and beneficial effects from our cups of coffee/caffeine.  And post a picture of your favorite coffee mug just for fun!

My Life Without Coffee...

Is walking into the shower with my house shoes on.  It's terrible.  I realize the tragedy a little to late to save the shoes.  It is the feeling of my fluffy house shoes feeling really heavy at first followed by wetness from the water.  Good times.

Is putting my shirt on backwards or inside out.  And then having it pointed out to me or discovering my error later in the day.

Is forgetting to put the water I filled and measured in my coffee pot in the actual machine.  I am so guilty of this.  I will fill my coffee pot with water  and turn on the coffee machine, but forget to pour the water in the machine.  Eventually I discover my machine in agony and/or I discover I have no coffee...a very sad moment.

"Texans Love Lentil Soup"

In the summer of 2005 I was in Spain studying at El Universidad de Salamanca.  If you have not been to Salamanca, I highly recommend you take some time out of your life to visit.  The school is beautiful, the Spaniards are polite, the culture is rich and history is still playing out.

Salamanca is located between Madrid and the Portugal border.  It is where I learned that I speak "Mexican Spanish," I don't care for Spanish cuisine and that "Texans love lentil soup."  Yes, one day my host family mom, Ellie, made lentil soup for me and my friend Ashley (also a Texan).  We devoured two bowls each.  We were so hungry.  The Spanish eat at much later hours than Americans do.  Ellie, my Spanish host mom, said every time she has Texans in her house, they all  love lentil soup! 

I had never tried to make lentil soup.  It's not something my mom ever made for us...she's not really a soup kind of person.  I take after my father in that department.  But I had the soup in Spain (obviously) and few places growing up in Texas (I think a friend's home and at restaurants).  All I know is that I liked it and one day would aim to attempt to make it myself. 

Well my friends, that time has come!  Get excited!  Yes, and again, I tried to follow a recipe and I failed and I Mexicanfied it.  Yes, I typed Mexican-fied (add it to your dictionary) cause it's going to be around.  So this is what happened on Sunday...

Sarith's Mexicanfied Lentil Soup

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/2 salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 1/3 cups water
2 1/3 cups dried lentils
1 box + 1 can of chicken broth
1 14 oz can of crushed tomatoes, undrained
1/2 small green bell pepper (whole for flavor)
1/2 Caldo de Pollo (chicken bullion cube)
1 cup chopped carrots
Goat Cheese
Tomatoes
Cilantro

Preparation
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion; saute for 3 minutes or until tender.  Add the next six ingredients (cumin to garlic cloves); saute for 1 minute.  Add water and next
six ingredients (water - Caldo de Pollo) reserving the 1 can of chicken broth for later and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer 1 hour.  At 40 minutes, add carrots and continue to simmer.

Place 2 cups of lentil mixture in blender; process until smooth.  Pour pureed soup back into lentil soup.  Garnish with goat cheese, tomatoes and cilantro, if desired.  Enjoy!

Gan Gan's Cream Cheese Mints

Gan Gan was my Mom's mom. I loved her like crazy. She was spunky, and kind, and absolutely hilarious. As a little girl, I loved spending time with "Gan Gan." I didn't get the chance to know her as an adult (she passed away when I was in middle school). She didn't cook very much (that I remember), but it was always fun to help her in the kitchen! (As a side note, I found out recently that she was also adopted...and her adoption story is SO interesting!)

When I was trying to decide what recipe to post, I looked through a few that she had passed down - Chocolate Pie, Lemon Pie, Bourbon Balls (interesting). But I landed on Cream Cheese Mints.

These are kind of old-fashioned. Not something I really make very often - in fact I've only made them once or twice as an adult. Though I do remember having them at "teas" and "luncheons" and other various fancy parties when growing up.

They are basically mint-flavored icing candies. Yum. Super simple. A few ingredients (some of which you can leave out - namely food color). These are really fun for small kids to help with - because it's kind of like working with play dough and there are no sharp or hot objects involved. Enjoy!

Gan Gan's Cream Cheese Mints

yield 6-7 dozen

Ingredients

• 3 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 tsp. liquid peppermint flavoring
• 2-2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• food color (optional)
• granulated sugar for decoration

Mix 1 package cream cheese (softened) with 1/2 tsp. peppermint flavoring. Gradually add 2-2 1/2 cups powdered sugar. Knead until no longer sticky. Divide into 4 portions and add food coloring of your choice to each (optional).

Shape into 3/4" balls and roll in sugar. Flatten with a fork to create a pattern. Let dry at room temperature.

Store loosely covered in the refrigerator.


PS - I didn't have time to take pictures this month (sorry!). And yes - It's August 7 and I'm just now posting for July. Can you say slacker?!? I will try to be better next month! I did post a couple of other non-grandmother recipes over on my photography blog...watermelon sorbet & my favorite popsicles.

Lazy Man Fruit Cobbler‏

This is a versatile recipe that comes from my Mother's Mother, GrandMomma Cunningham.

My GrandMomma was a strong, loyal, no nonsense kind of woman and Granddaddy Cunningham was a dreamer, risk taker and businessman. GrandMomma worked as a nurses aide at the local hospital. When she wasn't there she was helping Granddaddy run his General Store, or his chicken farm, or whatever new business venture he had come up with next (coordinating wrestling tournaments, the occasional midget wrestling tournament, buying and selling properties, farming vegetables, crop dusting, etc.).

So GrandMomma didn't have as much time to cook as she would have liked. But her and Granddaddy both had a sweet tooth. GrandMomma made Divinity candy and Fudge. Divinity was her favorite but making it is completely dependent on the weather and the humidity. And well, living in West Tennessee not too far from the Mighty Mississippi River does not lend itself to too many days with low humidity levels. But my favorite recipe from her didn't depend on the weather. This dessert she frequently made was weather proof, quick, easy and cheap to make: Lazy Man Fruit Cobbler. ‏

My Momma, my sister and I made it frequently growing up and know the recipe by heart. It is a fail-safe, go to dessert for us... well so long as I don't attempt to make it Gluten Free. (That was a disaster as Sarith can attest to for me.) And since we had large harvests of blueberries and blackberries from our backyard each year when we were growing up, we often had blueberry or blackberry cobbler. 

My sister even got into it with a male friend of hers over whose Momma's fruit cobbler was better. So when she was invited to his parent's house for dinner along with the rest of their friends, she proceeded to make the cobbler as her contribution and took it over to their house to prove that her family recipe was superior (where she gets this behavior from remains a complete mystery to me, for surely I have never, ever done such a thing.) His parents said that they actually preferred Katie's cobbler to their usual cobbler and asked her for the recipe. Katie felt as if she won some food network show. Personally, I don't know if they were just being polite or if they did prefer our family recipe. But I wasn't about to burst her bubble. 

We traditionally make this with water. So it is lactose free if you use margarine, instead of butter. It is also egg free. A rarity in baked desserts.  

You can use any fruit or combination of fruits you prefer. I tend to stick to traditional flavors such as Blackberry, Peach, Blueberry, Mixed Berry, or Cherry. However, a Blueberry and Peach cobbler is tasty. The classic Apple is yummy. A Blueberry Lemon with lemon zest tossed with the blueberries and a little lemon juice in the batter would be delicious as well. Or a Cranberry and Pear cobbler for Thanksgiving.

The cobbler is best using fresh fruit that is currently in season. But frozen fruit (defrosted) or canned fruit, such as peaches, work really well in the cobbler in the winter and early spring when fruits are not in season. Your options are limitless, I've even seen a pineapple cobbler. But I would recommend tossing the blackberries with sugar if they are tart or adding a little cinnamon, nutmeg or apple spice mixture to the apples before baking.

Now on to the baking! Preheat the oven to 350. 


Melt the butter/margarine in the baking dish you will be using. (My family typically used a round 2 quart baking dish with a lid. The lid was for when we stored the left over cobbler in the fridge, not while the cobbler was baking.)

Mix together the self-rising flour, sugar and the water (or milk) to make the batter.
 
Pour the batter into the baking dish on top of the melted butter.
 
Dump the fruit on top of the batter.
 
Bake for 1 hour.
 
Serve warm with ice cream of choice.

Our default ice cream for the cobbler was vanilla because it goes with everything. But a small scoop of chocolate ice cream over a cherry cobbler is delightful and reminds me of the Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream. I would also suggest the chocolate ice cream with a blackberry cobbler. (Godiva used to sell these chocolate cups filled with fresh blackberries. They were little bites of heaven.) Peach ice cream pairs well with a blueberry cobbler, or if you really love peaches, with a peach cobbler. I would think that a apple cobbler would pair well with a butter pecan, Breyer's Caramel Praline Crunch or Ben & Jerry's Cinnamon Bun ice cream (caramel ice cream with cinnamon bun dough & a cinnamon streusel swirl). Or maybe even serving a pineapple cobbler with Ben & Jerry's Pina Colada ice cream while the song Escape by Rupert Holmes plays in the background. Ok, I may have gone a little too far with the last suggestion. So I will stop while I am ahead.  


Lazy Man Fruit Cobbler

Ingredients‏ 

• 1 stick of Butter or Margerine, melted
• 1 cup Self-Rising Flour
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Water or Milk (Your preference. We aways used water but I have often seen the recipe used with milk instead.)
• 2 cups Fruit
• Ice Cream is optional but highly recommended (Vanilla is the traditional but use whatever tickles your fancy or taste buds)

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Melt the butter/margerine in the baking dish you will be using. 
3. Mix together the self-rising flour, sugar and the water (or milk) to make the batter.
4. Pour the batter into the baking dish on top of the melted butter.
5. Dump the fruit on top of the batter.
6. Bake for 1 hour.
7. Serve with immediately with your choice of ice cream on top. 

Grandma Batman's Lemon Meringue Pie

When life hands you lemons, lemonade is a viable option - - but I've always been partial to lemon meringue pie.

###

Here’s what I remember from the summer afternoons of my childhood:

Grandma Batman’s arms were impossibly soft and strong at the same time, and that was never more apparent than when she was kneading bread or rolling out pie dough. As a kid, borrowing an apron from her collection was like picking out a super hero cape. Except that these capes had ruffles, and you wore them around front like a shield instead of letting them trail off your back like a flimsy decoration. From the chair I’d pulled up to her counter, like a sidekick in a sidecar along for the adventure, I would watch with awe as Grandma would spin up magical clouds of flour until, out of the sugary storm, a clump of dough would begin to take shape. By step four of any recipe, her countertops always looked like a war zone. But even though everything around her was a mess, she concentrated on the task at hand with absolute precision. The delicate creations she could pull from the powdery debris were naught but magical.

###

Grandma has Alzheimer's now and is unable to cook. It makes me sad that my younger cousins will never be able to know the strong, competent version of her that I knew. She was my hero.

Then again, I will never know Grandma the way that my father knew her as his mother. And neither my father nor I can know the woman that my grandpa fell in love with 65 years ago - - the woman he adores and devotedly serves to this day.

But I did get to meet her once.

###

One afternoon, shortly after moving back to the Midwest after nearly 7 years inside the Beltway, I drove up to visit my grandparents. I’d just gone through some serious soul-searching (and some significant heartbreak), so I felt like Julia Roberts in “Eat, Pray, Love,” except that I skipped Italy, India, and Indonesia in favor of Indiana, hoping my grandparents could offer more relevant wisdom (and culinary insight) than some far-off shaman.

Grandpa had to slip away to a funeral for a few hours, so I sat on the couch while Grandma rested quietly in her recliner, wrapped in a blue blanket. Without her memories, we were strangers.

I smiled. She blinked.

“Do you remember baking with me?” I asked. “You taught me how to make a lemon meringue pie.”

“Oh, well that’s nice,” she murmured.

“You’re the best baker I know,” I said, truthfully. “Do you have any tips for me?”

“I’ll tell you my secret,” she said as her eyes lit up. I leaned forward expectantly, not wanting to miss a word. “Find a good recipe, and do exactly what it says. Exactly. Don’t mess with it. It will turn out the same every time.”

(So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen: the only secret of the best chef in the Midwest.)

And then, because she didn't know a thing about me, she politely asked the first question that any woman would ask a new acquaintance. “Are you married?”

“No,” I replied.

“Are you about to be married?”

“I don’t think so,” I admitted.

“Well, do you have a boyfriend?” she pressed good-naturedly.

“No,” I said. And then, because I couldn't stop myself, I added, “There was somebody, but he doesn't love me anymore. I guess he never really did.”

I barely got the words out before my throat started to swell. All of a sudden, I realized that my plan had failed. The hundreds of miles I had put between myself and this heartache were not enough. If her disease had not robbed her of her vision, she would have seen the tears brim, my eyes redden, and the way I couldn't meet her gaze. And if she had recognized me as her granddaughter, I’m sure she would have said something comforting about how I was beautiful and loved and how someone even more wonderful was probably searching for me at this very moment and how he would just adore my lemon meringue pie. But because Alzheimer’s isn't that polite, she just blinked.

And then she asked, “Are you married?”

I sniffed, confused. “No.”

“Are you about to be married? Do you have a boyfriend?”

“No.”

“Well that’s okay, you've still got time.” Then, second guessing herself, she asked, “How old are you, anyway?”

“I’m twenty-(mumble).”

“Oh. Hmm,” she murmured, followed by a long pause and some more blinking. And then, “Are you married?”

She asked me this 27 times in a row. I counted.

It became apparent that the questioning was not going to stop until I gave her a more satisfactory answer, but I couldn't bring myself to lie. Lying to your grandma (even if she doesn't know she’s your grandma) seems like a bad idea in principle, but it seems especially egregious when your grandma is as near to sainthood as mine is. So I deflected.

“I’m not married, but I know that you are, Mrs. Batman. I've met your husband. He loves you very much.”

She blushed with the shy smile of a young bride, not as a knowing old wife with 65 years of marital secrets and loyalty to defend. “Oh yes,” she gushed, “I am married to the most wonderful man.”

“What makes him so wonderful?” I pressed.

“Well, he is very kind, and he’s very neat. He always folds his trousers back up and doesn't just toss them on the floor. And he treats his mother well. You can tell a lot about a man by how he treats his mother, and he treats his very well. My mother lived on a farm . . ."

Successfully distracted by her deepest memories, we talked about her childhood in the rural hills of southern Indiana, and she repeated a handful of stories about milking cows and collecting eggs until my grandpa returned. After a couple go-rounds with the same tale about some ornery roosters, we were laughing like old friends who already knew each other’s best jokes. 

It was lovely.

###

Later, at dinner, Grandpa leaned over to help his bride struggle through her meal. “Eat your pizza, Grandma.”

“Who you callin' 'Grandma'?” she sassed with a hearty guffaw.

"Why, you, of course,” he answered, surprised.

“I'm not a Grandma! I ain’t old enough for that!”

“How old do you think you are?”

She blinked. Several decades worth of memories from a quietly valiant life escaped like an unimportant dream from the night before. And then she laughed again, “Well, I can't remember. But I ain’t old enough to be a grandma!”

When I got ready to leave, she asked me with genuine concern “if my daddy knew I was driving so far by myself at night.” Never mind that I had just driven solo halfway across the country to start a whole new life on my own. We were friends now, so she wanted to make sure that I got home safely.

###

For one afternoon, I got to talk to my grandma as if we were the same age, strangers in our young twenties meeting for the first time at a reception in a church fellowship hall somewhere. The good news is, we would have been friends. Which means that no matter how lost I might feel at times, I must be on the right track.

If given the option, would I prefer to have my wise, old grandma, whose sharp wit and rough edges have been worn soft and smooth under the river of time? Would I rather that she know me as her granddaughter, passing wisdom to me like a family heirloom? Praying for me the knowing prayers of someone who has walked these roads before me? Of course.

But I digress. This post is about pie.

###
Take your lemons and mix the bitter with the sweet. Watch the filling carefully when it’s over the flame. If you don’t, it won’t firm up and will run all over the place.

Don't take your crust for granted. It's more important than you think. If you’re gentle, the dough will stretch more than you realize - - but be careful not to tear it. It takes time (and practice), but a truly great pie crust is more than just an edible base. It’s a delight.

Finally, spread the meringue over the lemon filling while it's still hot, lest it weep. But if it does weep, don’t worry. 

Grandma says that, no matter how experienced you are in the kitchen, everybody weeps from time to time.

###

And the recipe, straight from my ten-year-old self to you: